Basic Information About Bottle Feeding

Many women feel that breastfeeding a baby helps develop a closer mother-child bond, as compared to bottle feeding. But that's not entirely true. When you bottle feed you do get a chance to hold your baby close to your body and nurture and strengthen the relationship with him. There could be various reasons for introducing a baby to a bottle. Maybe the mother needs to get back to work and hence the baby needs to start off on a bottle, the mother has some physical ailment which makes it impossible to breastfeed, or it could be time to wean the baby from the breast to a bottle. Whatever the reason, you should be fully aware of the bottle feeding techniques which will ensure the safety and good health of your infant. For a newborn, it's fairly easy to start off on a bottle, whereas for a breastfed baby, introducing a bottle can be as easy as a pie, or turn out to be a nightmare for some parents.

Introducing the Baby to a Bottle
There is no fixed time for this. Every baby is unique, and as the mother, you are probably the best person to judge when your kid should start using a bottle. A sign that your baby might be ready for it is when he nurses less than usual. It's not just the baby, weaning an infant can be hard for the mother too. So give it a good thought before you think of starting the bottle, keeping yours and your baby's needs in mind. As much as breastfeeding has its advantages, bottle feeding scores when another caregiver, especially the dad can also hold and feed the baby. To make the switch easier, start with combination feeding, breastfeeding thrice a day, and the remaining times use a bottle. Begin by feeding your baby expressed milk, and then slowly transition to formula. Breast milk is easier to digest than formula, so the feeding frequency and bowel movements too change accordingly. The transition phase may be stressful for your infant, so hold and cuddle your baby more. Never ever quit breastfeeding cold turkey!

Choosing the Right Baby Bottles
Baby bottles are available in both plastic and glass. The advantage of plastic bottles is they are much lighter and do not break. If you opt for plastic bottles, look for ones that are labeled BPA-free.

Bottle nipples are either made from silicone or latex and available in several sizes. Whichever material you use, ensure that the size of the hole is right, and the flow of the liquid through it isn't too less or too much. You can check how the liquid flows from the nipple. Fill the bottle with water, attach the nipple and invert it. You should get a steady drip. The water should not rush out, nor should it be so slow that you have to shake the bottle hard. You may want to try using a few till you realize which fits your baby's needs best. With prolonged use, nipples can get worn out and even fade in color. Discard them immediately.

Sterilizing Baby Bottles
Before initial use you must sterilize the baby bottle, including other parts like the lid, nipples, and any cap that may come with it. Boil water in a large pot and while it continues to boil, immerse all the bottle parts in it for 5 minutes. For subsequent use, after every feed, wash everything using hot water and a mild soap. Properly clean the nipple hole by squirting water a few times through it. Bottles can also be washed in a dishwasher.

Preparing the Formula
For formula preparation, follow the manufacturer's instructions. Do not add extra formula and do not dilute it either. Always use iron-fortified formula. Use boiled water that has been cooled down. Always use water that is lukewarm or at room temperature. If your baby prefers warm water, fill the bottle with warm water before you add the formula. Or immerse the bottle in hot water for a few seconds to warm up the contents. Never add cold water and microwave the bottle. Microwave heats food unevenly, and your baby could be at a risk of scalding his mouth. The bottle might even explode inside the microwave.

After you have prepared the formula, shake the bottle well, and do a temperature test. Allow a drop to trickle on the back of your palm or the inside of your wrist and see how warm it is. Unused formula should be refrigerated right away. Do not use prepared formula that has been lying in the bottle, unrefrigerated for over an hour.

Positioning the Baby
Before you hold the baby, make sure you are sitting comfortably. Tie a bib around the baby. Now pick up the baby and hold him close, at a slight incline (the head should be higher than the rest of the body). This prevents the buildup of gas when the baby is drinking. Put the nipple against the baby's lips and hold the bottle such that the neck of the bottle is filled with the milk. Support your baby's head throughout the feed. Never feed a baby who's lying on his back. This is dangerous as babies can choke and such feeding puts them at greater risk of ear infections. Never leave the baby alone with a bottle, propped up against a pillow.

How Much Milk Should the Baby Drink
For a newborn, start off with not more than 2 ounces for a single feeding. Increase the quantity gradually, when your baby finishes all at one go and look for cues that he is hungry for more. A hungry infant might continue to suck even after emptying the bottle. In such a case, offer more milk or formula. For an infant that has made the switch to a bottle, give him as many ounces of milk as half his weight. Don't expect your baby to finish everything at one go, and don't force it either. Babies instinctively know when they are full, and will stop feeding automatically by turning away their mouths and looking uninterested. If you are worried whether your baby has had enough milk, notice the signs which tell you he is feeling contented after a feeding and check whether he is gaining weight regularly.

Once the baby has finished feeding, you must burp the baby. At all times keep a burp cloth ready. Gently put the baby on his stomach over a burp cloth and slide your hands over his back a few times till you hear a burp. Or hold him such that his head is over your shoulder, and pat his back gently. You might want to drape the burp cloth over your shoulder when you burp him this way. Babies might not always emit an audible burp. But rubbing your hands over his back and patting him will eliminate the buildup of air bubbles from his body.

When and how to start bottle feeding should be entirely a personal choice, and not influenced by what others say or think. Every baby will have his unique feeding schedule and it will be some time before both you and the baby adjust to it. If you have any doubts, voice them to the pediatrician, he or she is the best person to guide you when it comes to the well-being of your baby.

Study Finds that Walking Is Not Enough Exercise

It’s not the "shot heard 'round the world" in fitness, but it should create cause for alarm in the health and wellness community. Doctors and other fitness professionals who have touted a "few minutes a day" walking program may be falling far short on the advice that should be given to the public.

A new study that compared walkers to those using stationary exercise devices found that the walkers only increased their oxygen intake by four percent, compared to 10 percent for the more traditional cardio exercise group.

"Exercise is a serious issue," says Dr. John Mercola of the Mercola Optimal Wellness Center. "I fully believe that it is far better to consider it as a drug and, as such, use it in very precise doses to receive the optimal benefit. It is relatively easy to over or underdose with exercise. One of the keys, however, is to listen to your body, and NOT your brain or intellect. Many of us feel that as long as we put in the time that will be sufficient to get our dose of exercise. So many go out for a slow walk for 10 or 15 minutes under the false belief that it will satisfy their exercise needs. Now, if you were the half-ton man, that might just do it, but even for him, after awhile his body would adjust to it and he would require a larger dose to achieve the same benefit."

Mercola personally advocates running, but says there’s a larger issue at stake.

"Most of the patients I see have a serious exercise debt and if they only walk for 30 minutes a few times a week they will never repay the principal on their debt," he says. "If they wish to optimize their health they need to do move towards about 90 minutes of cardiovascular exercise every day. This amount of exercise is only required in the treatment phase though and they can cut back to 45 minutes three times a week once they become healthy."

Past medical research studies have demonstrated conclusively that exercise, done on a regular basis and at a strenuous level, assisted in the prevention of heart disease. Those who are sedentary and do not exercise properly are seven times more likely to have a heart attack than those who have a set exercise routine, according to the American Heart Association.

"The way I see it: It really helps to view exercise as a drug," Mercola says. "The perspective then provides a context of just how powerful exercise truly is in the treatment of serious disease. It also helps one recognize that, like many drugs, the dose needs to be titrated very carefully. If you are overweight, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes then you will want to consider a daily exercise program, working up to 90 minutes per day until you normalize the problem."
What is your favorite type of exercise?

Walking
Running
Swimming
Working out with weights
Riding a bike
Clicking the TV remote

Middle Class Income Range

Calculating the middle class income range of a country is indeed a very tedious task. However, at the same time, it is extremely essential as the growing middle class symbolizes prosperity and economic growth. The middle class income range in a country varies from one city to another. So, we should be aware of the factors which are considered to determine the middle class income range in a particular place. In the next few paragraphs, we shall discuss the factors which affect middle class income range.

Factors Affecting Middle Class Income Range

A person living in a particular city is said to be in the 'middle class' bracket if his income fits into a range created by economists by studying the economic characteristics of the city. This implies that the middle class income range would be higher in the highly developed and advanced cities as compared to the lesser developed cities and rural areas. This is because the cost incurred on living and meeting basic needs is much higher in the developed cities than the underdeveloped ones. A person residing in a metropolitan city would have to spend a substantial amount of his income on home rents, transport, healthcare facilities, entertainment etc. For instance, the middle class income range would be higher in expensive cities like New York and Los Angles. Whether a person would fall in the middle class category also depends on the size of the family. We also consider the incomes of other people such as that of the poor, the rich and the very rich people before arriving at a figure for the middle class income range. Given below are some statistics related to the middle class income range.

Incomes of Middle Class People

The middle class income range is believed to be between USD 35,000 to USD 50,000 per year approximately as per the studies conducted by various institutions and economists. As per some other studies, the middle class income range could be between USD 22,000 to USD 65,000 per year. In some of the expensive cities, people earning up to USD 70,000 per year would also be included in the middle class bracket. More on gross domestic product.

The middle class is further divided into the upper middle class and the lower middle class. The upper middle class usually consists of people having substantial assets and household earnings which are more than USD 1,00,000 per year. The people in this class occupy considerably higher positions in their offices and are financially more stable than many people of their country. These are the people who see a considerable rise in their incomes due to the economic growth of the nation. They have higher disposable incomes than many of their fellow countrymen. The lower middle class consists of people who have basic educational qualifications and have an income between USD 30,000 to USD 60,000 per year. The lower middle class constitutes of a large part of the total population of a country. The lower middle class struggles to get to the level of the upper middle class, which in turn aims at entering the rich or elite class.

The middle class income range has seen a slow and steady rise in many countries of the world due to increased job opportunities. Asian countries like India and China have a middle class which is growing at a fast pace and adding to the growth of these countries. Hopefully, you are satisfied with the data on middle class income range in this article.